Fuel-feeding device for internal-combustion engines.



I. W. HALL. FUEL FEEDING DEVICE FOR INTERNAL comsusnow ENGINES.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 30, I917- LQUJSQ Patentefl 32111.7,1919.

2 SHEETSSHEETI finesse;

J. W. HALL.

F UEL FEEDING DEVICE FOR INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINES.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 30,1917- Patented Jan. 7, 1919.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2- Wsses STAWENT OFFICE"? JOHN WILLIAM HALLQoF LONDON, ENGLD.

rent-FE DING nnvrcf: non INTERNAL-COMBUSTION. ENGINES.

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To all whom'it may concern: I

Be it known that 1, JOHN WILLIAM HALL, a subject of the King of England, residing at London, England, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Fuel-Feeding Devices for Internal-Combustion lEngines, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to a fuel-feeding device for internal-combustion engines of the type in which a fuel-delivering device (for Instance a small pump) of (preferably automatically) variable capacity, delivers continuously, or delivers intermittently, that is to say in the latter case delivers a jet or small body of fuel-liquid for say each revolution of the engine, or at regular intervals in the period of revolution of a multiple-cylinder engine.

According to the present invention there is combined with such a fuel-delivering device and a fuel-jet nozzle in the engine inletpipe, an intercepting chamber, arranged inthe manner and for the purpose hereinafter exemplified. To the contents of this chamber the atmosphere has access.

In the accompanying drawings,

Figure 1 illustrates in vertical central section one construction according to the present invention; and

lFi 2 is a similar view which illustrates an a ternative construction.

Like reference letters indicate like parts throughout-the drawings.

'With reference to Fig. 1 of these draw ings,= the fuel intercepting-chamber TC is connected at its u per end to the pump, not shown, by the uel-delivery conduit FP, and to the atmosphere by way of the airpipe AP to enable the atmosphere to have access at all times to the fuel in the intercepting-chamber, or 1n the air-pipeshould the level rise so'high. The lower-end of intercepting-chamber" has an outlet E, to which is connected one end of a'nozzle-conduit NC whose other end carries the nozzle N for the fuel-jet in an engine inlet-pipe lllP. It will be observed that the nozzle N is a plain tube without any means applied to it for varying its orifice. The tip or mouth of the nozzle is located in a plane passing through the interceptin -chamber at right-angles to the longitu inal axis thereof at a point intermediate between the air-inlet'and the outlet E, this point in the construction shown being located approxi- Speciflcatipn of Letters Patent.

Patented Jan. '7, 119. Application filed June 30, 1917'. Serial No. 178,024.

mately midway between thetwo ends of the intercepting-chamber.

A body of fuel is put into the chamber IC at the commencement of operations by any convenient means. Subsequently the fuel is delivered into the chamber by the fuel-pipe FP so that there will always be an accumulation of fuel in the lower portion of the chamber, somewhat as shown. The

chain-line ML indicates a convenient mean level for the. liquid-fuel in the interceptingchamber T0 for, say, the maximum power of the engine. This level will of course vary with variations in the working condi- -tion of the. engine, as will hereinafter appear, but the depth of the chamber IC is to be such that in s ite of the variations of the level of the liquid-fuel in it due to variations in the working of the engine-supplied therefrom, there will always be enough liquid-fuel above the exit E, to keep that exit submerged under a small hydraulic head. Moreoventhe exit E is to be at such a distance below the mouth of the nozzle N ,that ahydraulic head exists in the nozzle conduit NC to oppose more or less the hy draullc head in the intercepting-chamber IC. As shown in the drawing, these two heads are equal. r

' As an example of the manner in which this device operates, let it be assumed that the engine is running at full power, and that the mean working level in the chamber is ML at this power, because the fuel-delivering device is designed to maintain the fuel at this level under full power conditions, the

fuel occupying a corresponding level in the 1 V jet-nozzle'N. The hydraulic head in the nozzle-conduit NC is thus equilibrated by thehydraulic head within the chamber 1C.

Next assume either that the engine-throttle is moved to-throttle the engine'down, or that the engine rises into air of lessened density, and that the rate of supply by the pipe FF is also reduced simultaneously (preferably by any convenient automatic means) to give a supply at a rate not exceeding that which would be the proper economical and'efficient rate for the new conditions.

I There will be a reduced engine-suction across the end of the nozzle N, but this alone, as is well known, would not be sufiicient to insure that excessive fuel shall not be picked up by that suction. However, inan apparatus according to the present invention the reduction of delivery from the nozzle to thecorrect minimum is effected automatically, for

in the next few strokes of the engine which immediately follow the throttle ad ustment, or the change in air condltlon, the suctlon will rapidly lower the level of fuel in the will ensue in which the issue from the nozzle N shall have been slowed to just balance thereduced rate at which the supply-is now issuing from the pipe FP.

For all throttle variations or air-denslty variations the head in the interceptin chamber IC will be altered in a similar fashion, either down or up in relation to the adverse head in the column NC, and will bring about, likewise, an automatic balance between the rate of delivery into the interceptingchamber by the pipe FF and the rate of 'withdrawal at the nozzle N. This adjustment is quite independent of the bore of the nozzle and thus the designer is given great freedom of selection in regard to the form and dimensions of the nozzl used. For instance, should the nozzle be of too great abore, compensatory adjustment of the level would be more rapid than it might otherwisehave been, and should the bore be too small, the adjustment will be slower; but in both cases it will be effected so long as the heads in the intercepting-chamber and the nozzleconduit are in balance with the altered sup ply delivered by the pipe FP.

The provision of the air-pipe AP causes the atmospheric pressure on the top of the liquid contents of the intercepting-chamber IO to automatically equalize itself with such variations of atmospheric pressure as may from time to time occur at the entrance to the inlet-pipe IP of the engine, e. 9;, in an aeroplane when it changes from one altitude or air-region to another; consequently the satisfactory working of the invention is independent of external air changes.

The automatic compensation effected by the intercepting-device employed as described makes it possible to use successfully for a given engine different sizes of bore (within reasonable limits) for the nozzle N, and to dispense with the use of any means for varying the bore of the nozzle when the running-condition of the engine is varied.

Fig. 2 illustrates a modification the important feature of which is that the intercepting-chamber IO is 'annularin form and is made to encircle the nozzle N. The object of employing a chamber which thus encircles the nozzle is to insure that the effective head of the liquid therein shall not be materially altered by any tilts of the apparatus in any direction out of the horizontal that are common in aeroplane practice, for in any such tilt the free surface of the liquid in the annular intercepting-chamber is at or approximately at the level of the nozzle-tip. The cross-sectionaLarea of the upper portion of this annular intercepting-chamber may be varied from that of the lower portion if desired so as to alter slightly in the case of a tilt, the volume of the body of liquid that is to one side of the axis, say the left-hand side in the drawing, as compared with the alteration which takes place to the other side, say in the body of liquid to the righthand side of the axis of the chamber in the drawing, so as to reduce to the minimum such slight variation of effective head as might occur when the level of the liquid is a little higher than that at which it is shown in Fig. 2.

Such devices as are above described are advantageous for the supply of a group of cylinders from a group of nozzles (or even from a single nozzle) connected to one intercepting-chamber; for instance, one such chamber to each group of three cylinders in a six-cylinder engine, when the two conduits from the two chambeis may lie in the athwart plane of the engine if it is to be fitted to an aeroplane.

Where the supply offuel tothe fuel-pipe FP pulsates, the intercepting-chamber will prevent the pulsations from proceeding to the nozzle.

What I claim as my invention and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. In fuel-feeding apparatus for internal combustion engines, the combination with the inlet-pipe of the engine, of a fuel intercepting-chamber for a body of liquid fuel of variable depth to be delivered tothe chamher in variable quantities, said chamber having an inlet always open to the atmosphere in the upper part thereof and an outlet always submerged by fuel in the lower part thereof, and a tube having one end connected to said outlet and its other end constituting a nozzle havin its mouth located in the inlet-pipe in. a pime passing through the intercepting-chamber at right angles to the longitudinal axis thereof at a point intermediate between said inlet and said outlet, the said outlet being located at such a distance below the mouth of the nozzle that a hydraulic head always exists in the said tube to oppose more or less the variable by draulic head in the intercepting-chamber,

outlet always submerged by the fuel in the other end thereof, and a tube having one end connected to said outlet and its other end constituting an uncontrolled nozzle having its mouth located in the inlet-pipe in a plane passing through the interceptingchamber at right angles to the longitudinal axis thereof at a point intermediate between said inlet and said outlet, the said outlet being located at such a distance below the mouth of the nozzle that a hydraulic head always exists in the said tube to oppose more or less the variable hydraulic head in the gitzrcepting-chamber, for the purpose specie a i 3. In fuel-feeding apparatus for internal combustion engines, the combination with the inlet-pipe of the engine, of an annular fuel intercepting-chamber for a body of liquid fuel of variable depth to be delivered to the chamber in variable quantities, said chamber having an inlet always open to the atmosphere in the upper part thereof and an outlet always submerged by the fuel in the lower part thereof, and a tube located concentricall in the annular interceptingchamber and having one end conneoted'to said outlet and its other end constitutin a nozzle having its mouth located in the in ct pipe in a plane passing through the intercepting-chamber at right angles to the longitudinal axis thereof at a point ap roximately midwa between said inlet an said outlet, the saic outlet being located at such a distance below the mouth of the nozzle that a hydraulic head always exists in-the said tube to oppose more or less the variable hydraulic head in the intercepting-chamber, for the purpose specified.

In testimony whereof I have signedv my name to this specification.

JOHN WILLIAM HALL. 

